Sort of last minute gift

Also checking in

Hi, Jo, beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing. I do enjoy seeing the projects of others.

Last minute gifts - Pillowcases are always a great idea as are the rice bags. How about potholders/hot pads?

I don't post very often. Our dial up computer connection takes forever logging in. Then each step takes extra long as well. But I certainly enjoy reading about the lives of others, seeing the many wonderful quilts as well as scenery shots too. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to share!

West Michigan checking in

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Checking in too

I'll get in the check-in line too...I've been reading the posts and enjoying the pictures, just not contributing much lately. I went back to work a few days a week and it's really hard to keep up with my quilting projects. So the computer comes in last in line of things to do, although I am checking email regularly and took care of a lot of Christmas shopping online. I really do like this board - the ability to post photos just adds so much. And thanks to Sue and Eric for making things so much better! NancyH

Garden Quilt

JudyPete requested a photo of my garden quilt from Mom, (Alice in W. WA) so I will try to post the front and back for her. It's taken me about an hour just to get the password to work! I'm back in lovely, warm (it was -4 when we got home last night) MN now, so things are a bit more challenging.

Here goes! Looks like I figured it out! Pat myself on the back for this one!

checking in

I started reading the WWQP bulletin board in 1998 and met at least 3 good quilt buddies that I continue to correspond with to this day. I don't post too often, owing to the fact that there are many others who know plenty more than I do about quilting! But I do read the posts every day. I was originally Beth in Ohio or NW Ohio, can't remember now? but have since moved and am Beth in TN (near Chattanooga, specifically...and no, I don't miss the northern weather :))

boy scout shirt

Don't be too quick to sew that boy scout shirt/patches into something not retrievable. If/when your son becomes an Eagle Scout you will want to be able to display everything he has that is scout related. My son has been an Eagle for a couple years now, but he puts on his shirt when he attends other Eagle ceremonies.

After that you might want to make a wall type quilt featuring his scout related t-shirts and the emblems etc--anything not on his merit badge sash.

Another Lurker Signing In

I haven't posted to this BB since it changed to a blog because I couldn't get past the sign-in part. It looks like it may have worked this time, so I'll post this and see.

Here's a quilt-related question for all you creative types. My son is in Boy Scouts, and I would like to make a quilt with all his patches, etc. after he is done with Scouts. He has a brand new shirt that has a ruined back due to his leaning against an oily phone pole. The back is a mess, but the sleeves and fronts are still new. (It was the first time he wore it, of course). So I am thinking I will cut it apart and use the front pockets, sleeves with emblems, etc. somehow in the quilt. Any ideas of what I can do with this?

Since it's snowed big-time twice in the last four days, I'm thinking I will have lots of indoor time this winter to devote to this project!

West Michigan checking in

Thank you to everyone who is responding to my urging topost. I just realized when I came here that I must not have signedout when I last posted or I ask to be remembered here, anyway Ididn't have to sign in. Keep the posts coming. Where arrrre youCelia,Dot,Doni,Ronna and many more? It is still cold and it is startingto snow. There are lots of birds at the feeders so maybe they knowsomething I don't. To make this quilt related, I did stop at the quilt shoptoday and get enough fabric to finish the top I'm making.Prayers to all who are in need.Mayme

An old-timer reporting in...

The comments about 'old' BBers prompted me to post. I was Sue in England and became Sue in France, and was an occasional poster and frequent reader/lurker. Truthfully, I got tired of some of the political/social views aired and was really put off by some very negative comments about France (after all, I choose to live here...).

The other problem was it took some time for the European version of the blog software to iron out its bugs - I gave up trying. But, prompted by the comments, I tried again today and - taa dah - it works.

Big thanks to whoever originally posted the split nine-patch pattern. I've used it, the two quilt groups who meet in my workshop have used it, a couple of email pen-pals have used it (and passed it on). Even if it wasn't known before, it's racing around Europe now.

Thanks for the updates on quilters

Good morning. My new puppy is at by feet chewing on her favorite toy as I write this. Haven't posted much lately, as walking the puppy, cleaning up pee, etc. is taking up much of the day. Thankfully she sleeps all night.Thanks for the updates on quilters. Has anyone heard from Pamalaxx in Australia? I know she took a full time job, but have lost touch.Thanks to all of you who helped with the Julian fires. I have read about the town, I believe that is where two quilt retreats are held every year.To keep this quilty--I'm working on a small quilt for a going away gift to a couple who are moving from Florida to So. Dakota in January. It is the Lorilie prints of the women shoppers. Cute! Cute! On the back I'm trying to get the wife's friend to E mail me with a quote, Bible verse, or message of love that I can hand write. I've given a deadline of this evening at 5:00 PM. So far about 15 have replied. Other friends are giving her a scarf, glove, and hat shower next week, to help keep her warm.I'll click over to the BB chat page to continue.Sara in Fla.

Signing in

Hi Everyone, I read this BB every day but rarely log in. Like others I found it difficult to sign on. However I wrote how to do it and put it next to the computor. Here in NE Pa. we are having snowstorms and bitter cold weather. thats the usual for Dec. I feel bad for those in State of Washington who are experiencing flooding. We went thru that one and a half yrs ago. Some people I know are still recovering from it. My life had been taken up with quilting at this time of year and now my DH is going to have open heart surgery next week. Thankfully we have a lot off family support. So Christmas will be a little different this year. Will try to focus on the important stuff. I hope everyone who is celebrating this season has a good one. My thoughts and prayers are for those who are going thru difficult times. Marge in Pa.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Long Gone BBers

Perhaps some of our BBers are long gone and will never return .... perhaps they left during the months of the hideous spam. For example I have sent personal emails to two of them that I have personal emailing relationships with and have tried my best to coax them back to posting but I have not had luck with those two. One in Missouri is too annoyed with the complications of the new system and can't be bothered with jumping through the hoops and so she reads but will not post. The other, in Florida, has lost interest in this group and moved on to other quilting and sewing interests that she finds less stressful (I guess). Another in Arkansas was never much of a poster in the first place so she continues to read and keeps her status as just a faithful lurker. So there's three former "old" BBers that I can account for ...

And then there's this bunch of Judys who chatter away, come what may. :-)

Blogging on the BB

Hmmm...maybe we should be calling this the BBB, the Blogging Bulletin Board. Or the other way around, the Bulletin Board Blog. LOL

Initially, I was having trouble posting here because I kept forgetting my password. That's because I use a variety of passwords...I'm paranoid, so if someone figured out my password on one website they wouldn't have it on the others. My friend in Ohio assures me that is overkill, but that's me. Perhaps I'm paranoid because someone once used one of my credit cards to pay themselves $500. Talk about pain -- that caused me to have to contact each and every one of my other credit accounts, bank account, new driver's license with new ID number, etc, ad infinitum. Sigh.

Anyway, for those of you who have not made use of this new BBB, you sign in with an email addy (which never appears online, therefore will not bring spam to your email box) and create a password. If you are forgetful like me, put asticky note on your monitor with your password for the BBB. When you log in you will identify yourself first by your email addy, then your password. Then log in now and then and post some quilty item. Once you've done that a couple times, you'll be a regular BBBer, rather than a lurking BBBer.

Also...posting to the board is different than commenting to another person's post. To do that, you click on the word comment just below their remarks.

Oh! One other thought! Do remember that when someone posts a photo, you can click on the photo for a closer look.

reporting in

One reason I think there isn't more blogging is it's somewhat difficult coming in each time especially after not doing so for a long time. :0) This spot is one of my main stops when checking out my emails and interests however.It snowed and rained (one weatherman called it snizzle) here last Saturday and we have ice covered snow now after it froze. We have been mainly staying inside. I personally have been making a log cabin using a pattern that I liked from the Judy Martin's new book while using up some scrapes I have saved from past projects. I ran out of dark material so had to go to plan B and go though some of my stash and find similar fabric. It's turning out rather nicely.Anyone else have a Bernina 153 and needed the thread guide changed?? I was having problems with threads breaking. Took it to my dealer and they had to order a new one for me. They said that the company was recalling the machines so they could improve that part. Well hope others will report in since it's interesting to know what others are doing.LONNA IN WI

Mayme

What a good idea, to ask everyone to check in. Mayme, I didn't get any plants from the poppy seeds you sent, I don't think they liked the heat and humidity here. Disappointing, but I'll just have to enjoy the hibiscus, oleander, bougainvilla, etc. that do like it here.

I've been doing a lot of quilting this year. DH is recuperating from a bunionectomy and toe straightening, getting around the house with a knee walker--funny looking thing--he kneels on it with his foot hanging off the back of the padded rest and scoots around. He let it go too long and required a lot of surgery, so is non-weight-bearing for 6 to 8 weeks. I don't know if he will have the other one done after this ordeal. One good thing, he had very little pain with it and only took about 3 Darvocet N-100 tablets in the week after the surgery. It was done the day after Thanksgiving.

Having my mother living here in Texas and only 30 miles away is a great thing, too. She's 87 now and getting more frail and forgetful. I think it won't be too much longer before she will come to live with us. She doesn't have enough $ to afford a really nice assisted living place, and me being a nurse she can just come here and save her $ in case she needs a nice nursing home down the road. She loves having her own apartment and being as independent as possible, but she does realize that she's getting to the point that she'll need to be here.

I've been working on a quilt for our 5 y/0 granddaughter, probably for her birthday in the spring. I'm using a Laurel Burch horse fabric with another horse fabric and will put up a pic when it's done. KayAnne loves horses. It's a family thing--one of my cousins and I were horse lovers, and my daughter loves them, too. KayAnne is our son's child--he liked horses, but never as much as the rest of us.

Pat in Rockport, TX, where it's sunny but only 56 degrees right now, brrrr!

Monday, December 3, 2007

for bunny re:california fires

oh my bunny, you wouldn't believe this but just yesterday i pulled out my manilla envelope filled with letters, notes, newspapers and people magazine that all had to do with the cedar fire. it was almost 4 years to the day, those fires began late october 2003. the ten quilts were presented in february 2004 to a very appreciate group. for anyone who wasn't posting at that time, we adopted ten volunteer firefighters in julian (a small mountain community near san diego) who all lost their own homes while out on the line fighting the fire to save the homes of others.

here is the e-mail that i sent out to all of those who worked making blocks and putting together the quilts:

i'm sending a copy of the text that i kindawent by as i told them about us. i'm not a greatspeaker, but i didn't want to read either -- soimpersonal! -- so it was kind of a mixture of takingthe text and improvising. i'm also sending it to allof the other main people in this project.it's been a long, happy day so i'll post to all withpictures tomorrow.

the lives of quilters are held together by much morethan common threads, and the internet has broadenedthe scope of these friendships. there is a website weaffectionately call "the bulletin board" where peoplepost questions, answers, tips, and snippets ofeveryday life. i’ve been going there for many yearsand a lot of the names come up quite often, the"old-timers" who freely share their knowledge andencourage new quilters along the way. a little over ayear ago, when the space shuttle columbia broke apartupon re-entry, the bulletin board took on a sombertone as we all grieved the loss of the crew. oneperson posted that it might be nice to make a quiltfor each of the astronauts’ families, a common waythat we give of ourselves to help ease the pain ofloss. the bulletin board came alive with questions,suggestions, volunteers, so many posts that infebruary 2003 it was decided to create a yahoo group"the comfort squad" dedicated to this endeavor.

on october 13, the finished quilts were mailed fromflorida to houston along with the hopes and prayersthat they would bring comfort to the families… and onoctober 27, mary in oregon posted… "According to thelatest news reports, about 1100 homes have been lostin the fires. Has anyone heard of quilts being madefor those who have lost their homes? I'd like to makeat least one quilt and would be happy to make blocksto send if anyone else wanted to make a joint projectquilt. please let me know if anyone has heard of anyplanned quilt work being done and/or a possible placeto send finished quilts to." TIA, Mary

…and then the news story aired about you guys. i sawit and posted to the group suggesting that we adoptyou. johanna in finland had seen the story on NBCnightly news and thot it was a wonderful idea. margeand mary both chimed in, and we were off and runninggathering many others along the journey. because ofmy close proximity i volunteered to coordinate theeffort and make contact. from then on we’ve madeblocks to be mailed across the country, chatted aboutour daily lives, and worked on these ten quilts. thelast of the quilts arrived at my house just four daysago and i’ve been anxiously awaiting this day.

there are several others who stand around me withgreat anticipation, and altho you can’t see them theyare very much here in spirit. if you would like tosee how all of this evolved, check in to the websiteat http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comforter_squad/you will have to join, but you will be able to readall of the posts, see the pictures, and meet anincredible group of caring, giving, and talentedwomen.there were several things that this group wanted youto know about why this project is so near and dear tous. the overwhelming feeling was that we want you allto know how much your efforts are appreciated. thecourage and dedication it takes for you to give sofreely of yourselves to insure the safety of othersdoes not go unnoticed, and we hope that whenever yousee these quilts you will be reminded of the thots andprayers that go with you. we want these quilts to notonly warm your bodies, but also your hearts. we knowthat you have lost so much, but hope you will alsoknow that you have also gained the gratitude andrecognition of an entire nation and world as thereports of this huge fire spread thru the media.

ps sharyn craig was my first quilt teacher, president of the quilt guild that i joined way back when, and also a friend and neighbor. i encourage anyone who feels inspired to participate in her worthy project to do so. and in case you don't know, she's retiring in january 2009 so if you have a chance to hear her speak or take a class, do it!

dutchrose ---{-@ who moved away and now lives in the northwest! however, our old house did get evacuated once again with these last fires and i was in close touch with my kids while the fires raged. all of my friends and family thankfully were only inconvenienced.

West Michigan checking in

Hi Everyone, Last night when I couldn't sleep between 3:30 and4:30 I got to thinking about this site. There are so many we don't hearfrom anymore. I always wonder what happened to them. I went downthe list of members and lots I recognize and lots I don't. I would love itif everyone on the list checked in some time this month to let us knowhow you are and for those who have never posted, introduce yourselves.I'm sure it is a lot of work for Eric and Sue to maintain this blog and wouldlike to see it get more use for their trouble.It is cold and snowy here. I just hole up in the house. I think I could becomea recluse! I have a possible part time job in the works. It would be helpinga cousin in law. She has been in a nursing home but will be coming home. Hersons live away and they would feel better if they knew someone was with hersome everyday. I enjoy the elderly so I hope it works. I put a lap quilt on thedesign board today. I need to go back to the quilt shop as it isn't quite big enough.I need 5 more preprinted panels to make it wide enough. I will post a picturewhen it is done. I'm making it for friends that bought a lake place.I hope to see posts from old as well as many new folks here.Mayme

California Fires

I just read on Ami Simms' monthly newsletter that Sharyn Craig is collecting FQs, new or from stash to help replenish stashes for those affected by the recent fires in San Diego Co. Fabric can be sent to Sharyn Craig, 2530 Indigo Dr., El Cajon CA 92019. I remember a few years ago when we made blocks for dutchrose for quilts for the firefighters. When was that dutchrose? Bunny

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Trying to figure this out for Mom...

I'm trying to figure out for my mom how to post something to this website. She suggested I tell you about my new quilt to give it a try. Its a beautiful trellis, with a sky on top, flowers and flying bugs (like dragonflies) in the middle, and flowers and critters on the bottom. It has rabbits on it, too, as it all started with my complaints of the rabbit salad bar in my backyard perrenial garden! There is a poem my mom wrote that she included on the back of the quilt. I love it! My sisters and I are visiting here in WA from MN, so I got to sleep under it last night. Mmmmm. Moms are so great! I love mine! (Alice's daughter Jo)